William H. Avery (politician)
Encyclopedia
William Henry Avery was an American
Republican Party
politician
who served as the 37th Governor of Kansas
from 1965 until 1967.
, Avery graduated from the University of Kansas
in 1934. While attending the KU he joined Delta Upsilon
Fraternity. He was a member of the Wakefield School Board, and served in the Kansas House of Representatives
from 1951 to 1955, and in the Congress
for the Republican Party from 1955 to 1965.
Avery’s parents were both college graduates; his father from Kansas State University
and his mother from the University of Emporia (now Emporia State University
.) Although very many school children did not attend school in that day, there was a strong push from both of Avery’s parents to get an education. Although his family had a history with Kansas State, and it was the closest college – he declined the Wildcats and enrolled at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.
Avery “served as the state’s thirty-seventh chief executive, from January 11, 1965, to January 9, 1967. Although his gubernatorial service was short, Avery’s outgoing personality and ability to win elections made him a central figure in Kansas Republican Party politics throughout the 1950s and 1960s.”
Avery is remembered as the governor who sanctioned the executions of Perry Smith
and Richard Hickock
, the murderers of the Clutter family, made famous by the Truman Capote
book In Cold Blood
. Capote describes the governor as "a wealthy farmer" conscious of public opinion. Also as governor, he dedicated a memorial in Delphos, Kansas
for Abraham Lincoln
and Grace Bedell
, the eleven year old girl who suggested to presidential candidate Lincoln to grow his famous beard.
After losing the governorship to Robert Docking
in the 1966 election, Avery attempted but failed to win a seat in the Senate, losing in the primary to future U.S. presidential candidate Bob Dole
. Following his retirement from politics, he worked for Clinton Oil Company and became president of Real Petroleum Company.
He was one of five former governors interviewed for the documentary The Kansas Governor, in which he proudly stated that in his many years of politics he had never played a round of golf
. Avery was married to Hazel Bowles (January 4, 1914 - August 17, 2004) from 1940 until her death.
He died on November 4, 2009 at age 98. Flags in the state were ordered lowered
until November 14 in his honor.
What that group was trying to do was stop the Dam from being built. There had been a flood in 1935 and people in the Tuttle Creek area were much more concerned about losing their houses and land opposed to a water shortage. Due to his work in Tuttle Creek, Avery was pushed to run for office in thestate legislature. He believed that the local citizens believed they could have better representation, and Avery thought it was his job to fill that void. His opportunity came when citizens from Clay Center, Kansas
sought him out to run for the Kansas House of Representatives
. Avery said he would do it, as long as he did not have to go through a primary. “They gave a lot of reasons why they thought I should run. I said, “Okay, I’ll make a deal. If you will guarantee I won’t have a primary I’ll probably consider to run, but I don’t want to have to campaign at a primary and then possibly campaign in the general election.” They came back in about a week and said, “We got it fixed; you won’t have a primary.”
Avery had the advantage of being a Republican running in one of the largest Republican counties in the state of Kansas. He was also a third generation farmer who had attended college and came back to take of the family farm. These two factors helped in his attempt at becoming a legislator. “Clay County is one of the strongest Republican counties in Kansas
, I think number one, two, or three, so I didn’t even have an opponent in the general election, and I didn’t have an opponent when I ran for my second term.”
Avery did have an opponent in his Clay County primary
. He defeated prohibition
candidate Ed Woellhof by 1983 votes to enter the Republican Party’s 1954 primary. The incumbent of the first district was Democrat
Howard Miller
who had defeated incumbent Albert Cole
. Cole had gotten some signs crossed with Avery in regards to the Milford Reservoir. “In the Blue Valley and Republican Valley action, he’s opposed to Tuttle Creek and he’s opposed to Milford, and that made him pretty solid in this area. Then after the 1942 flood that came along, why there was a lot of damage downstream, and that revived the downstream support for the reservoirs. I knew Albert and I didn’t interrogate him very seriously on this, but he gave me the impression he voted against putting this money in for Milford and Tuttle Creek. But he didn’t get up and oppose it.”
This meant there would be a new representative from the First Congressional District of Kansas. For that man to be William Avery, he had to win the primary. Avery’s biggest competition in the primary was Doral Hawks, a Republican who had a strong hold on Topeka. The First Congressional District of Kansas consists of 13 counties which also encompass Shawnee Country; which is the county Topeka is located in. After the floods of 1935 and 1942 caused much damage to the city of Topeka, many citizens wanted the reservoirs built to help protect the city. Hawks was running under the platform of creating the reservoirs – an issue that seemed to impact the voting significantly. “The Republican Party’s 1954 primary, a five-way contest for what was then the Kansas First Congressional District, was quite close. Avery won a plurality with 40 percent of the votes cast (22,077), and Hawks came in second, receiving almost 37 percent (19,952).”
Now, William Avery was up against the incumbent. Howard Miller
had been receiving much credit for accomplishments that he had not actually accomplished. “These Blue Valley Belles got a lot of publicity by campaigning for Howard Miller, saying he stopped Tuttle Creek. He didn’t, Dwight Eisenhower took it out of the budget, that’s what stopped it. He got the credit and was there and opposed it and Albert lost it.”
It did not matter; Avery defeated Miller and became the Representative to the First Congressional District of Kansas in 1955. Many of the Republican members in the United States House of Representatives
were inexperienced, which allowed Avery to climb up the ranks quickly. In just his second term, William Avery was able to work in the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee and the Rules Committee. Avery believed that he was seen more as a vote than a member, in regards to many of the older Congressmen. “They all said nice things and said they were glad I was there and that gave the Republicans one nearer to the majority than it was before. I don’t know whether my physical presence meant much to them but my being there meant something to them.”
Eisenhower had taken the Milford Reservoir out of the budget. Now, President Harry Truman had re-appropriated budget money to the project. Avery felt it was his obligation to get this taken out of the budget. He wrote and elegant speech and delivered it to Congress; to no avail. “Cliff Hope was the only congressman from Kansas that voted with me. The other four - Errett P. Scrivner, Edward H. Rees, Wint Smith, and Myron V. George - all voted for the reservoir. I was kind of mad at the time.”
campaign speech, Avery told Kansas what he wanted to be as their Governor. “I want to be the number one salesman for Kansas.” I tied that to, “A job for every young lady and young man graduating from our Kansas schools.”
Avery also backed a plan that would give statutory state aid to elementary and secondary schools. “The state aid has been a lifesaver for them because they were strictly relying on an ad valorem tax and they had about reached their limit on that. Now they are providing an educational opportunity for lots of students that never would have had a chance to go to an institution of higher learning. I say that the principal decision I made [as governor] was state aid to education.”
Not only had Avery helped state aid to elementary and secondary schools, but also helped establish new help for community colleges. The “war babies” were coming to the age where they would be attending college, many were worried if there would be enough resources to accommodate these students. Avery met with Kansas State University President Jim McCain to discuss the topic. McCain said, “Bill [Avery], we need state support for junior colleges. The war babies, they are just hitting the college level now. We’re out of space, we’re out of teachers. And some of these students are coming here before they are ready for a four-year college. And instead of opposing that I think you should support junior colleges so they can prepare some of these students for leaving home and adjusting to the curriculum that we have on the collegiate level in Kansas.”
Avery was very proud of what his reform did, and how it has weathered the test of time. Avery said, “They didn’t repeal any of them. They didn’t repeal the withholding tax
and didn’t repeal the increase in the sales tax
. That provided the support for the education programs. Even though none where repealed, that did not change public sentiment towards the raising of their taxes.”
His opponent was Democrat Robert Docking
. Seeing as Avery’s tax hike was controversial, Docking ran on a tax reduction platform. Docking’s running strategy focused less on what his policies were, and more on the unpopular policies of Avery. During the summer before the election, Avery’s approval rating was 46%.
Towards the end of his campaign, Avery began coming up with gimmicks for reelection. “At the end of the campaign the incumbent governor was looking for anything to help, including doing two hours of “Ask Avery” TV five days before the election, where he took questions from viewers across the state.”
Avery lost his bid for reelection, 380,030 to 304,325. There were many reasons Avery believed he lost the election. “On election night Avery blamed the tax issues for his loss, but also noted that voters were frustrated over national problems such as inflation, rising crime rates, the Vietnam War, and student protests. Avery also believed that Kansans continued to be frustrated by school district unification which occurred during Governor John Anderson
’s term, but which Avery believed had a strong negative lingering effect on him.”
of Washington and was the oldest living former U.S. Representative following the September 25, 2008 death of Glenn Andrews of Alabama
. Avery's death left former New York
Representative William F. Walsh
as the oldest living former House member.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
who served as the 37th Governor of Kansas
Governor of Kansas
The Governor of the State of Kansas is the head of state for the State of Kansas, United States. Under the Kansas Constitution, the Governor is also the head of government, serving as the chief executive of the Kansas executive branch, of the government of Kansas. The Governor is the...
from 1965 until 1967.
Life and career
Born on August 11, 1911 near Wakefield, KansasWakefield, Kansas
Wakefield is a city in Clay County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 980.-Geography:Wakefield is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 838...
, Avery graduated from the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in 1934. While attending the KU he joined Delta Upsilon
Delta Upsilon
Delta Upsilon is the sixth oldest international, all-male, college Greek-letter organization, and is the oldest non-secret fraternity in North America...
Fraternity. He was a member of the Wakefield School Board, and served in the Kansas House of Representatives
Kansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
from 1951 to 1955, and in the Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
for the Republican Party from 1955 to 1965.
Avery’s parents were both college graduates; his father from Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
and his mother from the University of Emporia (now Emporia State University
Emporia State University
Emporia State University is a university in the city of Emporia in Lyon County, Kansas, just east of the Flint Hills.- History :...
.) Although very many school children did not attend school in that day, there was a strong push from both of Avery’s parents to get an education. Although his family had a history with Kansas State, and it was the closest college – he declined the Wildcats and enrolled at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.
Avery “served as the state’s thirty-seventh chief executive, from January 11, 1965, to January 9, 1967. Although his gubernatorial service was short, Avery’s outgoing personality and ability to win elections made him a central figure in Kansas Republican Party politics throughout the 1950s and 1960s.”
Avery is remembered as the governor who sanctioned the executions of Perry Smith
Perry Smith (murderer)
Perry Edward Smith was one of two ex-convicts who murdered four members of the Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas, United States on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by Truman Capote in his 1966 non-fiction novel In Cold Blood.-Family and early life:Perry Edward Smith was born in Huntington,...
and Richard Hickock
Richard Hickock
Richard "Dick" Eugene Hickock was one of two ex-convicts who murdered the four members of the Herbert Clutter family in Holcomb, Kansas on November 15, 1959, a crime made famous by Truman Capote in his 1966 non-fiction novel In Cold Blood...
, the murderers of the Clutter family, made famous by the Truman Capote
Truman Capote
Truman Streckfus Persons , known as Truman Capote , was an American author, many of whose short stories, novels, plays, and nonfiction are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffany's and the true crime novel In Cold Blood , which he labeled a "nonfiction novel." At...
book In Cold Blood
In Cold Blood (book)
In Cold Blood is a 1966 book by American author Truman Capote detailing the brutal 1959 murders of Herbert Clutter, a successful farmer from Holcomb, Kansas, his wife and two of their four children. Two older daughters no longer lived at the farm and were not there at the time of the murders...
. Capote describes the governor as "a wealthy farmer" conscious of public opinion. Also as governor, he dedicated a memorial in Delphos, Kansas
Delphos, Kansas
Delphos is a city in Ottawa County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 359. It is part of the Salina Micropolitan Statistical Area. The community was named after Delphos, Ohio.-Geography:...
for Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and Grace Bedell
Grace Bedell
Grace Greenwood Bedell Billings was an American woman, notable as the person who, as an eleven-year-old, influenced Abraham Lincoln to grow his famous beard....
, the eleven year old girl who suggested to presidential candidate Lincoln to grow his famous beard.
After losing the governorship to Robert Docking
Robert Docking
Robert Blackwell Docking, , was the 38th Governor of Kansas from 1967 until 1975.Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Docking attended public school in Lawrence, Kansas, before attending the University of Kansas, and served in the Air Force during World War II...
in the 1966 election, Avery attempted but failed to win a seat in the Senate, losing in the primary to future U.S. presidential candidate Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
. Following his retirement from politics, he worked for Clinton Oil Company and became president of Real Petroleum Company.
He was one of five former governors interviewed for the documentary The Kansas Governor, in which he proudly stated that in his many years of politics he had never played a round of golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
. Avery was married to Hazel Bowles (January 4, 1914 - August 17, 2004) from 1940 until her death.
He died on November 4, 2009 at age 98. Flags in the state were ordered lowered
Half-staff
Half-staff is the American term for to describe a flag flying a flag below the summit of the flagpole . The rest of the English-speaking world uses the term half-mast. Technically the flag should be flown one breadth lower to allow for the invisible flag of death...
until November 14 in his honor.
Entrance into politics
William Avery’s political career started on the Milford Reserve. “I came right back from college and took over the farm. I evolved as kind of a spokesman for the lower part of the Republican Valley as opposing the reservoir and being in that group I became acquainted with a lot of people over at Tuttle Creek who were opposing Tuttle Creek [Dam]. So when it began to get heated up some, why I knew that group and we worked together rather effectively.”What that group was trying to do was stop the Dam from being built. There had been a flood in 1935 and people in the Tuttle Creek area were much more concerned about losing their houses and land opposed to a water shortage. Due to his work in Tuttle Creek, Avery was pushed to run for office in thestate legislature. He believed that the local citizens believed they could have better representation, and Avery thought it was his job to fill that void. His opportunity came when citizens from Clay Center, Kansas
Clay Center, Kansas
Clay Center is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 4,334.-Geography:Clay Center is located at...
sought him out to run for the Kansas House of Representatives
Kansas House of Representatives
The Kansas House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kansas Legislature, the legislative body of the U.S. State of Kansas. Composed of 125 state representatives from districts with roughly equal populations of at least 19,000, its members are responsible for crafting and voting on...
. Avery said he would do it, as long as he did not have to go through a primary. “They gave a lot of reasons why they thought I should run. I said, “Okay, I’ll make a deal. If you will guarantee I won’t have a primary I’ll probably consider to run, but I don’t want to have to campaign at a primary and then possibly campaign in the general election.” They came back in about a week and said, “We got it fixed; you won’t have a primary.”
Avery had the advantage of being a Republican running in one of the largest Republican counties in the state of Kansas. He was also a third generation farmer who had attended college and came back to take of the family farm. These two factors helped in his attempt at becoming a legislator. “Clay County is one of the strongest Republican counties in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
, I think number one, two, or three, so I didn’t even have an opponent in the general election, and I didn’t have an opponent when I ran for my second term.”
Avery did have an opponent in his Clay County primary
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
. He defeated prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
candidate Ed Woellhof by 1983 votes to enter the Republican Party’s 1954 primary. The incumbent of the first district was Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Howard Miller
Howard Shultz Miller
Howard Shultz Miller was a U.S. Representative from Kansas.Born in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, Miller moved with his family in 1882 to Morrill, Kansas. He attended the public schools of Brown County, and Sabetha High School. He taught school 1894-1899.He graduated from the University of...
who had defeated incumbent Albert Cole
Albert Cole
Albert Cole is a Sierra Leonean international footballer.He currently plays as a midfielder. He began his career with local club Mighty Blackpool in the Sierra Leonean Premier League....
. Cole had gotten some signs crossed with Avery in regards to the Milford Reservoir. “In the Blue Valley and Republican Valley action, he’s opposed to Tuttle Creek and he’s opposed to Milford, and that made him pretty solid in this area. Then after the 1942 flood that came along, why there was a lot of damage downstream, and that revived the downstream support for the reservoirs. I knew Albert and I didn’t interrogate him very seriously on this, but he gave me the impression he voted against putting this money in for Milford and Tuttle Creek. But he didn’t get up and oppose it.”
This meant there would be a new representative from the First Congressional District of Kansas. For that man to be William Avery, he had to win the primary. Avery’s biggest competition in the primary was Doral Hawks, a Republican who had a strong hold on Topeka. The First Congressional District of Kansas consists of 13 counties which also encompass Shawnee Country; which is the county Topeka is located in. After the floods of 1935 and 1942 caused much damage to the city of Topeka, many citizens wanted the reservoirs built to help protect the city. Hawks was running under the platform of creating the reservoirs – an issue that seemed to impact the voting significantly. “The Republican Party’s 1954 primary, a five-way contest for what was then the Kansas First Congressional District, was quite close. Avery won a plurality with 40 percent of the votes cast (22,077), and Hawks came in second, receiving almost 37 percent (19,952).”
Now, William Avery was up against the incumbent. Howard Miller
Howard Shultz Miller
Howard Shultz Miller was a U.S. Representative from Kansas.Born in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, Miller moved with his family in 1882 to Morrill, Kansas. He attended the public schools of Brown County, and Sabetha High School. He taught school 1894-1899.He graduated from the University of...
had been receiving much credit for accomplishments that he had not actually accomplished. “These Blue Valley Belles got a lot of publicity by campaigning for Howard Miller, saying he stopped Tuttle Creek. He didn’t, Dwight Eisenhower took it out of the budget, that’s what stopped it. He got the credit and was there and opposed it and Albert lost it.”
It did not matter; Avery defeated Miller and became the Representative to the First Congressional District of Kansas in 1955. Many of the Republican members in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
were inexperienced, which allowed Avery to climb up the ranks quickly. In just his second term, William Avery was able to work in the Interstate and Foreign Commerce Committee and the Rules Committee. Avery believed that he was seen more as a vote than a member, in regards to many of the older Congressmen. “They all said nice things and said they were glad I was there and that gave the Republicans one nearer to the majority than it was before. I don’t know whether my physical presence meant much to them but my being there meant something to them.”
Eisenhower had taken the Milford Reservoir out of the budget. Now, President Harry Truman had re-appropriated budget money to the project. Avery felt it was his obligation to get this taken out of the budget. He wrote and elegant speech and delivered it to Congress; to no avail. “Cliff Hope was the only congressman from Kansas that voted with me. The other four - Errett P. Scrivner, Edward H. Rees, Wint Smith, and Myron V. George - all voted for the reservoir. I was kind of mad at the time.”
Running for Governor
Representative William Avery was ready to run for the Governorship in 1965. In an earlycampaign speech, Avery told Kansas what he wanted to be as their Governor. “I want to be the number one salesman for Kansas.” I tied that to, “A job for every young lady and young man graduating from our Kansas schools.”
Avery also backed a plan that would give statutory state aid to elementary and secondary schools. “The state aid has been a lifesaver for them because they were strictly relying on an ad valorem tax and they had about reached their limit on that. Now they are providing an educational opportunity for lots of students that never would have had a chance to go to an institution of higher learning. I say that the principal decision I made [as governor] was state aid to education.”
Not only had Avery helped state aid to elementary and secondary schools, but also helped establish new help for community colleges. The “war babies” were coming to the age where they would be attending college, many were worried if there would be enough resources to accommodate these students. Avery met with Kansas State University President Jim McCain to discuss the topic. McCain said, “Bill [Avery], we need state support for junior colleges. The war babies, they are just hitting the college level now. We’re out of space, we’re out of teachers. And some of these students are coming here before they are ready for a four-year college. And instead of opposing that I think you should support junior colleges so they can prepare some of these students for leaving home and adjusting to the curriculum that we have on the collegiate level in Kansas.”
Avery was very proud of what his reform did, and how it has weathered the test of time. Avery said, “They didn’t repeal any of them. They didn’t repeal the withholding tax
Withholding tax
Withholding tax, also called retention tax, is a government requirement for the payer of an item of income to withhold or deduct tax from the payment, and pay that tax to the government. In most jurisdictions, withholding tax applies to employment income. Many jurisdictions also require...
and didn’t repeal the increase in the sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
. That provided the support for the education programs. Even though none where repealed, that did not change public sentiment towards the raising of their taxes.”
Bid for reelection
Governor William Avery’s bid for reelection took place in 1966. Avery was the Republican incumbent to the Governorship and was seeking reelection during a time where he had raised taxes, a big no-no to the Kansas citizens.His opponent was Democrat Robert Docking
Robert Docking
Robert Blackwell Docking, , was the 38th Governor of Kansas from 1967 until 1975.Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Docking attended public school in Lawrence, Kansas, before attending the University of Kansas, and served in the Air Force during World War II...
. Seeing as Avery’s tax hike was controversial, Docking ran on a tax reduction platform. Docking’s running strategy focused less on what his policies were, and more on the unpopular policies of Avery. During the summer before the election, Avery’s approval rating was 46%.
Towards the end of his campaign, Avery began coming up with gimmicks for reelection. “At the end of the campaign the incumbent governor was looking for anything to help, including doing two hours of “Ask Avery” TV five days before the election, where he took questions from viewers across the state.”
Avery lost his bid for reelection, 380,030 to 304,325. There were many reasons Avery believed he lost the election. “On election night Avery blamed the tax issues for his loss, but also noted that voters were frustrated over national problems such as inflation, rising crime rates, the Vietnam War, and student protests. Avery also believed that Kansans continued to be frustrated by school district unification which occurred during Governor John Anderson
John Anderson, Jr.
John Anderson Jr. was the 36th Governor of Kansas from 1961 until 1965.John Anderson, Jr., was born May 8, 1917 near Olathe, Kansas to John and Ora Bookout Anderson. He graduated from Olathe High School in 1935. From there he went on to Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science,...
’s term, but which Avery believed had a strong negative lingering effect on him.”
Legacy
At the time of his death, he was the second oldest living governor of any state behind Albert RoselliniAlbert Rosellini
Albert Dean Rosellini was the 15th Governor of the state of Washington for two terms, from 1957 to 1965, and was the first Italian American, Roman Catholic governor elected west of the Mississippi River...
of Washington and was the oldest living former U.S. Representative following the September 25, 2008 death of Glenn Andrews of Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Avery's death left former New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Representative William F. Walsh
William F. Walsh
William Francis Walsh was a Republican-Conservative member of the United States House of Representatives from New York.-Biography:...
as the oldest living former House member.
External links
- William H. Avery at NNDBNNDBThe Notable Names Database , produced by Soylent Communications, the same entity that produces Rotten, Daily Rotten, Dr. Sputnik's Society Pages and Penny Postcards, is an online database of biographical details of over 36,000 people of note...
- William H. Avery at the State Library of KansasState Library of KansasThe State Library of Kansas is a department within the state government of Kansas, with locations in Topeka and Emporia. Jo Budler is the State Librarian.-Locations:...